What to wear with your silver hair

The-Bias-Cut.com is an online boutique that celebrates style at every age. Founder Jacynth Bassett created the company after growing saddened about her mum's frustration to find stylish clothing aimed at her age. Jacynth's mission is to cut through ageism by creating a destination that truly celebrates women of all ages, shapes and sizes. Jacynth is sharing her top styling tips to women who have decided to embrace their natural silver hair.

"Deciding to embrace your natural grey or white hair can be a major physical and mental adjustment. But does that mean you need to update your wardrobe too?

What you wear is a reflection of who you are on the inside so, if you are feeling different, there’s no doubt you might wish to change how you dress. Perhaps you’re feeling bolder, and it’s time to try new colours and cuts? Maybe you’re feeling rebellious? Or possibly you want to become more refined, with elegant, classic pieces?

So the first thing to really consider is how you feel, and what image you now want to portray. There’s a reason you decided to become a silver siren, so have a think about that and whether your clothes and style match that image. Because ultimately looking your best is about confidence. So if you feel your clothes are accurately reflecting the person, that’s going to shine through.

Look through your wardrobe, and consider whether the pieces are really who you are today. We all change over time, and your aesthetic will have probably done so over the years. So, rather than hanging on to pieces that no longer feel right to you, send them off to a charity shop, and make room for an update. And your update doesn’t have to be much – it might just be one or two pieces, such as a new statement jacket, or a beautiful sweater. But by adding even a couple of new pieces, you’ll be able to style looks differently to make you feel far more like you.

The next step is to think about colours. A lot of people say to me that they can’t wear certain colours due to their hair being white, but that’s not quite accurate. It’s still far more to do with your skin tone than your hair colour. If you have a warm skintone, still opt for warmer hues. And if you have a cooler one, go for cooler hues.

However, what you might find is that certain colours become more draining on you. Beige and nude colours in particular won’t do you many favours, and pastel tones can look old-fashioned. Instead go for more vibrant colours, or keep it stark and striking with clean white or black for a chic monochrome look.

Brighter colours can be a bit daunting, but you will find they really lift you. Consider hues that look particularly lovely with white and grey – for example pink, green, purple and red. They’re all rich, vibrant tones that will contrast beautifully with your hair colour.

And the suggestion to embrace colour on top goes for older women, regardless of their hair colour. Leading fashion stylist Claire Ginzler (who currently is styling Prue Leigh on The Great British Bake Off) told me she always encourages her older clients to wear bright colours on top as it makes them far more vibrant.

If you’re not quite sure where to start, I strongly recommend looking at Pinterest for inspiration. There are some beautiful women and outfits on there that might encourage you to step slightly outside your comfort zone, and try something new. But do remember that, like our skintones, everyone’s silver hair is different. So what suits one person might not suit another. So try to find people who’s hair is a similar shade to yours. (I also suggest not relying too much on images of younger women with on-trend dyed grey hair as it tends to be more a fake lavender tone, and younger skin has more pigment so colours look different on them).

As well as going for colour on top, also consider updating your makeup. A lot of women start to move away from experimenting with makeup as they get older, sticking to the same routine. But why shouldn’t you have just as much fun now as when you were younger?! In particular, consider wearing a statement lip colour for a fresh look. It will really add vibrancy to your face, and will look stunning next to your beautiful hair. If you’re not sure what to try, I suggest heading to your local department store and having a consultation with a make up assistant. Tell them you’d like to try something new, and see what they come up with!

My overriding #1 tip is never to be afraid of trying something new. As Louise, one of our real women models (and a White Hot Hair customer), put it:

Louise Pendry: a Bias-cut.com model and White Hot Hair customer

“I recently had the opportunity to try on a number of outfits chosen for me by the-Bias-Cut.com. When I saw the outfits on the hanger I wasn’t sure about some of them, didn’t think they were really me, whether that was because of the style or colour. So it was to my surprise that, for the majority of the outfits, I found I actually loved them once I was wearing them. This has made me reassess my need to be a bit more flexible in my styling choices, to take risks.”

The thing is, if you put something on that you really don’t like, you can just take it off again. No one needs to know! But by trying something new you might be pleasantly surprised. So next time something catches your eye – even if it isn’t something you’d normally wear – just give it a go.

Finally, remember this: it’s only time to start updating your look when the time is right for you. You should never feel pressured into it. And maybe you need to start with baby steps – perhaps by just wearing a new lipstick, or injecting a bit of colour into your look through an accessory. But if and when you decide it’s time for an update – as you have done with your hair –don’t be afraid of thinking outside the box and having a bit of fun!"

Bio:Jacynth Bassett is the founder of the-Bias-Cut.com - Shopping With Attitude. Jacynth was inspired to start the first premium fashion online boutique truly celebrating style at every age after growing saddened and frustrated at seeing women like her mum being treated as invisible in the eyes of the Fashion Industry.

Focusing on beautiful contemporary style, excellent quality and flattering cuts, the-Bias-Cut.com curates collections by some of today’s best independent designers, always with women of all ages in mind. Everything is modelled by women of different ages, heights and sizes, and its anti-ageism message is supported by it’s Ageism is Never In Style forum on Facebook.

As well as founding the-Bias-Cut.com, Jacynth has written for publications such as The Guardian and The Huffington post, and for blogs on style at every age. She also frequently speaks on ageism in fashion on panels and podcasts, is the weekly style advisor for The Menopause Room with over 35,000 members, and has also contributed to an internationally published book. In doing so, is swiftly becoming recognised by the Industry a leading expert on style at every age.